End Your Road Trip in Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands are a fun and beautiful region to end your Australian Adventure.

On the Sydney to Airlie Beach, you see everything on the Sydney to Gold Coast drive – the iconic Australian cities of the Gold Coast and Sydney, surf community Byron Bay, spectacular coast lines, dive spots, wine regions, World Heritage listed rainforest and beautiful national parks.

In addition, you see the highlights further north on the Brisbane to Airlie Beach drive including the city of Brisbane, Noosa Heads, Hervey Bay for dolphin and whale watching, Fraser Island, the Great Sandy National Park, the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. 

It is a journey of 2,050 km (23 hours of drive time) plus detours and can be tackled in three weeks. Give yourself four weeks or more if you’d like to explore properly and really soak in the vibe of some of these places.

We shortlist the best campervan-friendly places to stay for the entire journey in our travel guides. 

Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
Surf's up! Byron Bay. Photo: Dylan O'Donnell

Campervan Drop off Airlie Beach

You can pick up your campervan at one end and drop it off at the other at no additional charge. Our Airlie Beach depot is conveniently located in the heart of Airlie Beach at Gypsy Travel, 344 Shute Harbour Road. There are daily flights back to Sydney and elsewhere from Proserpine Airport.

Cover photo: Whitehaven Beach near Airlie Beach by Corey Butler

Kangaroo at Hat Head National Park
Kangaroo at Hat Head National Park. Photo: Quentin Chester.

Airlie Beach Caravan Parks

Airlie Beach caravan parks vary in quality so we’ve shortlisted the best. Our recommendations earn at least four stars on Trip Advisor and Google and are well located.

The following four caravan parks provide full amenities, powered sites, swimming pools, and reception offices that can help you plan your stay.

Buses into the middle of town pass all these caravan parks roughly every 30 minutes.

  • Seabreeze Tourist Park – 2.2 km (25 min walk) from Main Street.
  • Island Gateway Holiday Park – 2.7 km from Main Street.
  • Big 4 Airlie Cove Resort and Van Park – 3.6 km from Main street.
  • Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort – 5 km from Main Street.
Moran Falls Lamington National Park
Moran Falls and lookout at Lamington National Park. Photo: Nat Smith


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